Observations from a different angle

I don’t know if this is a common problem for those with anything vaguely related to motor oil in their veins, but I seem to have fallen madly in love with the idea of a new car. (Well, new to me anyway.)

It strikes every once in a while and often when least expected. It once struck when I was wandering around a Motor Show at the NEC back in the early 2000s. In an unguarded moment I had sudden rush of blood to the wallet and placed an order for a (still in concept phase) Lotus M250. Ultimately, Lotus decided not to build it, and so I was given my deposit back. More recently, I developed a fascination for Porsches that hasn’t entirely dissipated yet and was lucky to be able to get one – only to have it unceremoniously ripped away from me again. More on that another time.

And so it was that the next unguarded moment struck this afternoon. Cupid, that fat little cherub, plucked his bow and I was struck with love, somewhere near the Stokenchurch junction on the M40, as a lovely shape filtered onto the eastbound carriageway of the motorway. If you enjoy spotting cars, like me, it’s easy to spot the rump of a Ferrari and even more so when it’s the derrière of the FF. Resplendent in the delicious hue of what appeared to be Rosso Maranello, I found myself exclaiming to the family something along the lines of “Cor! Look at that!! Similar colour to my old Elise, boys!”.

We sailed serenely past, since the driver didn’t seem to have the courtesy to mash the loud pedal and give us a little tune from the 6 litre V12. With the FF stuck at around 60mph, I could only wistfully watch the ever diminishing view of the FF in my rear view mirror. Still, with the image of that side profile freshly imprinted on my memory, I could then begin happy thoughts of how I might get that car into my possession as we completed our journey round the M25 and up the M3 to home.

With the Dad-wagon freshly unloaded, the fatal decision to have a quick Google is made and gold is struck in quick order. It turns out that Tom Hartley currently has a 2012 Ferrari FF in that gorgeous Rosso Maranello with “special curio hide”. Quite why it’s parked in a large puddle is a mystery but it still looks rather splendid while it goes for a paddle. My interest was piqued by these cars when visiting Graypaul in Birmingham and I saw a white FF with chocolate leather interior. I confess I enjoyed looking at that car in the showroom but it then rather fell out of my thoughts. This red and tan combination looks even better and will be harder to shake. We all have different criteria for cars and whilst Ferraris etc are still in dream territory, I see no reason for supercars to exclude some members of the family from the fun. As a result, FFs are right at the top of the list of cars that I would like to own that still have four seats. The Porsche 911 Carrera 4S fitted that bill nicely and meant all four of us could all go on a jaunt in something a bit special.

The Ferrari FF has to be the next step up from that. With beautifully crafted rear seats, you won’t feel guilty for those confined to the back row. If one can be found with the panoramic roof, this would be even less of a problem. I was lucky enough to catch a ride in the back of an acquaintance’s blue FF from London to Birmingham. With my 6’2″ frame I didn’t have a huge amount of foot room, but everything else was fine and there was no way I could feel claustrophobic with the massive panel of glass over my head. The excitement of climbing aboard a car that is adorned with the emblem of the “Cavallino Rampante” tends to mute most potential complaints anyway. Thus the dream of owning a car that will render the boys speechless is born and will niggle away at me until I figure out how to achieve it.